No one enjoys the process of finding assisted living for their loved one, but when their health is deteriorating before your eyes, the time may have come to find the right assisted living for them. There are four steps that you may want to follow when finding assisted living for the ones you love:
Determine Need
The first step that you need to take when deciding on the best assisted living is simply determining whether or not one is necessary. If you notice that your loved one is losing weight or suffering memory loss, you should have him or her visit a geriatrician. The doctor will assess whether or not they can dress themselves, eat without assistance, or if they fall frequently. The physician will also check for early signs of dementia.
Survey
If the evaluation determines that assisted living is necessary, you need to compile a list of places to consider.
Some things you should look for are,
– Distance from you. You don’t want your loved one to feel isolated from their family, and you want to check on the quality of the care they are receiving.
– History of care quality. You want to check for nursing homes that have a higher ranking, while keeping in mind that these will be the most sought after, and will likely have a waiting list. You can find this information on state health department websites.
– Keep count of the caregivers and their schedules. The more caregivers that a home has, the greater the likelihood that it will have better care.
– Find an advocate. This person will know about the various places, and may even help you get into the better ones. They will also know where to go to find the necessary information on each home’s care and safety.
Visit
The next thing you should do is visit each of the finalists. While you are visiting, ask the administrators questions that are tailored to the needs of your loved one. You should also vary your visits to different days and times. Things to look for are a full parking lot, the sounds of visitors, how the staff relate to the patients, how the residents play and eat, and unpleasant smells.
Move In
Finally, once you have moved your loved on into his or her new home, you need to visit occasionally so that you can monitor their care. You should expect an adjustment period while your loved one gets used to the new surroundings. During these visits make noes of any changes to your loved one’s health, disposition, and demeanor. If you notice any problem, calmly bring it to the attention of the administrators, as it may be something that they were not aware of.
